heli ski operator

Chasing the White Gold Rush - Part I

Chasing the White Gold Rush - Part I

PART 1: CES TOUR TRIP REPORT

The primary reason for my visit to British Columbia was to host a Total Heliski Member Tour at our operator, whose renowned tenure at Eagle Pass sits opposite the ski resort of Revelstoke. Arriving from the distinctly barren and over-the-top environment of Las Vegas where the party had been undertaking a large electronics industry conference known as CES, it couldn’t have been more of a contrast to land in the hazy, overcast, snow-covered airport of Kelowna early in the afternoon of Jan 14. Our drive up to the lodge made us excitable as our driver broke the news of the current epic snow conditions to us, all the while as the snowfall got heavier and heavier on the windscreen. I was just hoping that we were going to have enough decent weather to be able to fly the next day.

 

Precision Operations

Precision Operations

Being the founder and CEO of Total Heliski brings it perks, I can’t deny.

They usually occur in the winter, however, a few weeks ago, I was fortunate to be invited by a Total Heliski client to sail with him and his Australian pro-crew, on his yacht in the Rolex Maxi Yacht Regatta held in Porto Cuervo, Sardinia, Italy.

At 67 feet, we were the ‘mini-maxi’ class, i.e. I was surprised that there was an even bigger class of 100 foot and over. The Regatta, which is the official World Championship consists of the best of 5 races held over the course of a week.

A Mid-Summers Ski Dream

A Mid-Summers Ski Dream

Midsummer in the northern hemisphere means lots of outdoor theatre, parties, BBQs, and picnics. But whilst we may be ‘ski-dreaming’ in summer, our operators are investing in improvements for your skiing pleasure.

In BC some heli ski operators conduct a run enhancement program referred to as ‘glading’. Open spaces that occur naturally in the forest are called glades. The operator’s crew goes in and mimics these opens with a specific cutting plan and thus opens the inter tree spacing. The wood, that is cut, is referred to as coarse wood debris and is cut to lie flat on the ground and return to the earth adding to the soil.

Heli Skiing in Greenland

Heli Skiing in Greenland

By Hans Solmssen, Guide de Montagne.

I first came to Greenland to heliski 10 years ago. I expected quite mellow and monotonous terrain, given all the talk about the ice cap. What I discovered, was better skiing than any other place on the planet. And because the area is so vast, using a helicopter to access the terrain provides the ideal way to ski here. My “little” area covers an area greater than all the Alps from Chamonix to Zermatt. Not only is the skiing much more exciting than what any other heli operation has to offer, but the stunning views and cultural experience is simply outstanding. Many of our runs approach 2000 meters of decent, which means we do in 3 days what most operations do in 6.

Bella Coola - Part 2

Bella Coola - Part 2

Is it about the journey or the destination?

The destination: For all the talk in my last blog about the journey. Let’s face it- when it comes to heli skiing or heli boarding, it’s totally about the destination.
So, in the last post, I shared the founding of Bella Coola Helisports. Now- let me paint the picture of your destination and the experience that is ‘Bella Coola’. Here’s a little photo essay. After all, they say a picture tell a thousand words, and to be quite honest, experiencing the real thing pretty much left me speechless…

Bella Coola

Bella Coola

Is it about the journey or the destination? Part 1

Given that this year alone, in my quest to test the goods for Total Heliski, I have circumnavigated the world several times, spending over 100 hours inside a metal tube, or in obscure airports doing transfer layovers, I started pondering about the age old question, whether in heli skiing (as in life), Is it the journey or the destination that matters more? So, I start Part 1 of this piece, with the argument for the journey.

Slack Country Powder Skiing

Slack Country Powder Skiing

Out the back of Kicking Horse Ski Resort with Great Canadian Heliski Mountain Guide- Dave Rutherford.

Ever wondered why a guy who gets paid to heliski would want to strap on a pair of skins and walk up hills for fun? Well, meet Dave Rutherford. A Canadian BC powder country local who started his career as a Banff liftie, and progressed to become a Level 4 Canadian Mountain Guide, and ‘2IC’ at Great Canadian Heli skiing. Ask him this question, and he might tell you that he appreciates the fortitude from ‘earning your turns’. That’s easy for him to say……

Chatter Splatter

Chatter Splatter

Epic and consistent. Sitting on a train en-route to Austria for the British Telemark Ski Championships, reflecting. At last weeks London Total Heliski Info Show event, the crowd were blown away with the pictures I shared of epic and consistent skiing at Chatter Creek Cat over New Years. Here are a few shots that sum it up. Mmmm. Where to start?

From the moment we took off from Chatter Creek’s helicopter transfer base, near Golden BC, we were flying over some of Canada’s best back country. With each passing minute, I sensed increasing remoteness and anticipation building for skiing pure untouched powder snow.

The best ski season ever?

The best ski season ever?

Wow, Christmas rapidly came. As an Australian living in the Northern Hemisphere, firstly, its still a novelty to have the wintery Christmas lead up, with the Christmas lights experienced in the dark as they should be. However, you always have to make some decisions at least 6mths before about whether it will be a ‘return home, see family’ Christmas or a ‘go on holiday Christmas’. In my case this year, because I did the Christmas thing in Australia in November, I was able to do the latter, and you will see how thankful I am.

3-2-1 Lift Off! Total Heliski is born

3-2-1 Lift Off! Total Heliski is born

Talk about a whirlwind few months. When I look back on it, I kept getting signs from all sorts of people and places that I felt were encouraging me to invest my time and energy into something that turned out to be Total Heliski.Or perhaps I was just now open and looking for the signs. After all, I was reading all sorts of blogs (Seth Godin’s was most influential here), talking to friends about the merits of doing an MBA or doing a startup, and then one day in July I think it was, I got an email from Greg Porter, the owner of Great Canadian heli skiing (heli operator), asking me whether I was actually going to setup a heliski promotion company to represent his operation and showcase it to people in the UK and other markets because he would like to see more Brits come heli skiing.